No Friends of Mine
by BonBon99
Summary: The Marauders' seventh and final year at Hogwarts might end in dismay. They've stuck it out through six years but what can possibly happen in one that can tear them apart? Rated for some mild language. Reviews are appreciated! Chapter 6 is up!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter universe or any of the characters except the ones of my own making. Joanne Rowling is the sole creator of this amazing series.**

CHAPTER 1

Though winter was fighting a losing battle against the warmth of spring in the daytime, a chill spread throughout the castle at night. With a glance over his shoulder at the window, watching as the trees swayed violently in the April wind, James was glad he was seated in the warmth of the Gryffindor common room. Lily was lightly dozing next to him, her head on his chest. He stroked her red hair and stared into the fire, making comparisons between the two. They were both graceful, both dazzling in silhouette, both bright, but mess with either and you could get burned. A flicker of a smile shot across James' face.

The common room was packed and a hum of conversation like a hive of bees droned throughout. He thought that they were keeping quiet so as to not wake Lily, and his guess was probably not far off.

They had become Hogwarts' most famous couple Halloween night this year, and even though the air was becoming warmer again from the bitter winter, those in Gryffindor house – in fact, in _every_ house in the school – were still getting over the shock of the rivals making amends. Truth be told, James was still a little surprised himself, even now.

His eyelids grew heavy from being so relaxed and comfortable on the squishy couch. It was a perfect night. No annoying little first years whining for a seat, no hot-tempered arguments between troubled couples, no whistling wind coming from the now repaired window. James' watch showed it was midnight and he closed his eyes, the light from the fire still imprinted on his irises.

He heard the portrait door open and a strong, damp smell followed the person entering. James' eyes snapped open. Suddenly, he wasn't so tired anymore.

The new occupant of the room was holding his arm and scanned the area until his grey eyes landed on James and Lily. He loped over to the pair with his usual swagger and dropped into the chair next to them, now rubbing his neck. His long, black hair covered his face for a moment, but then he brushed it out of the way with a casual wave of his hand.

"Slimy git," Sirius Black muttered. "Filch oughta be fed to the giant squid. You know what he had me doing? Scrubbing the dungeon floor _without magic!_ I've been on my hands and knees for the past five hours washing it with a bloody toothbrush! And for what? Charming a couple of brooms to whack Snivellus? Hell, I've done worse than that! I swear, one of these days, I'm gonna – Oh, sorry Lils."

Sirius had been speaking with increasing volume and Lily groggily opened her eyes. She sat up and brushed strands of hair out of her face and smiled with her usual sincerity.

"No worries, Sirius," she said quietly.

"Great, nice going," James muttered, not looking at his friend.

Lily turned her sharp green eyes from one boy to the other. She had no doubt detected the subtle bitterness in James' voice. "No, really James. It's fine."

Ignoring her, he continued under his breath, "Only one of many things you've screwed up recently."

"Excuse me?" Sirius demanded, startled by his friend's hostile tone.

"It's not as if you care what others think at all. You just go on doing whatever you damn well please and don't care if others get hurt."

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" Sirius asked, tensing up. He focused his full attention on James.

"Me? Nothing. You? Everything."

Sirius' eyes grew wide with confusion. "Oh, of course. Nothing's ever wrong with _you_. I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as the great James Potter."

James glared at Sirius and didn't respond. After a pause, the latter asked, "What'd I do, huh? You're not still mad about that Tickling Charm are you? I said I was –"

"No," James replied, standing up. Lily tried to reach out and grab his arm, sensing a fight, but he just shrugged her off. "This is about Moony, about Frank, about me and Lily, about Kathleen."

"What in the worl –" Comprehension dawned on his face as he stared up at his friend. "You've _got_ to be kidding me. You can't think that I'd –"

"I don't know, I've been wrong about you before," James spat.

Sirius stood up also and looked the other young man square in the eye. "I'm a better person than that," he said slowly. "You know me."

"I thought I did. I thought you were someone I could trust. You've turned into a wannabe murderer."

"Oh _please_," Sirius scoffed. "That was a joke, and old Snivellus didn't get hurt."

"You're turning into your _parents_!"

It was a low blow and James knew it. The rage he felt was so pure that it just slipped out; he realized that it felt good to play that card.

He heard Lily's sharp intake of breath, then she hissed, "James."

He became aware that the room was still in shocked silence. All eyes were on the two, toe to toe, staring each other down. They had never seen the friends fight – not like this. They were inseparable and it was incomprehensible that they could ever be angry at each other. This wasn't something one saw every day, and nobody wanted to miss it.

As for Sirius, his eyes had hardened so that they resembled a steel plate. A vein on his neck pulsed with his heartbeat. James had only ever seen that sign once, back a few months ago, right before he decked a Slytherin sixth year for calling Kathleen a Mudblood. He saw Sirius' fist clench and vaguely wondered if Sirius would punch him. James almost wanted him to.

"I'm not going to do this with you, James," Sirius said through clenched teeth. "You need to cool down." He took a step back, and the tension in the room increased ten-fold.

"Don't you dare walk away," James said, his voice dark and menacing. "You don't get to say some pretty words and walk away. That's called being a coward, and that's what you are. You know, you can find somewhere else to live; you're not welcome at my house anymore. Maybe you do belong in Slytherin!"

To punctuate the last word, James shoved Sirius. Hard.

There was a synchronized take in of breath. Nobody in the room had expected it, least of all the recipient. He stumbled back a few steps. His eyes quickly changed from disbelief to a coldness so deep that James swore the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees. He had never seen Sirius with so angry an expression, not even around Snape. James wished that he would fight back, so that he could get the restlessness out of his system, but what Sirius said next stung more than any punch could.

"Go to hell, Potter."

With that, he turned on his heel and stormed to the stairs, people jumping out of his way as he went. He took them three at a time.

James watched him go with a gaze that gave truth to the saying, "If looks could kill." He didn't regret a single thing he had said. Why should he? Everything he said was true.

Adrenaline pulsed in his blood as he turned back to the couch. Lily sat there with her mouth hanging open, her eyes halfway filled with tears. She no longer looked remotely tired, more like she had just seen a ghost or a brutal murder. Her entire posture and feel oozed pity. James couldn't bear to look at that right now.

"What?" he snapped.

Lily's mouth closed and her eyebrows came together. She swallowed and got up. She looked like she was going to say something, but just shook her head. She followed Sirius up the stairs.

James instantly regretted snapping at Lily, if not at Sirius. He considered running after her but had a feeling that she was going to talk to his ex-best friend. With an increased feeling of dread, knowing the pair of them were probably now planning his painful death, he slumped on the couch. He leaned over and put the palms of his hands over his eyes. He pressed harder and harder until little splotches of light danced on his closed eyelids.

He'd have to make it up to Lily. _Tomorrow_, he decided. Tomorrow, when he could stand looking into her heartbroken eyes.

He felt the eyes of his fellow Gryffindors on him, but he ignored them. In time, though he had no idea how long, people returned to their conversation, if quieter than usual, but the boy by the fire didn't move, and nobody tried to engage him.

James got a headache and he longed for the simpler days when they had everything figured out. By the end of first year, everyone knew who the Marauders were. By the end of fourth year, they were running the school. James finally had the girl of his dreams, but felt even emptier now than when he didn't have Lily.

The Marauders were no more, he realized with a pang. They didn't make it to the end of their last year. They were warring amongst themselves.

_How did it come to this?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Harry Potter. Jo Rowling is the creator and only owner.**

CHAPTER 2

*September 1st …*

"Are you _sure_ you have everythingyou need?"

"Yeah, yeah."

"All your books? Your clothes, your owl, your wand, your -"

"No mum, I forgot my wand." James rolled his eyes at his mother's continual badgering. She had been doing so since they left Godric's Hollow ten minutes ago.

Mrs. Potter clicked her tongue at her son but otherwise remained silent for the rest of the trip, for which James was grateful. Truthfully, all her checking, double checking, and even triple checking made him more nervous than he already was.

Nervous about what? He couldn't say exactly. Maybe because this was the last ride to Hogwarts he would ever go on as a student. Maybe because he wasn't sure what the future would hold for him and his friends after school. The Marauders … they knew who they were at Hogwarts; they were the trouble makers, the jokers, the inseparable quartet. But outside the safety of the castle walls, who knows?

The war with You-Know-Who was getting worse, and any number of things could happen after they left school. He just knew that he wanted to get on the train as soon as possible, and yet at the same time, wanted to never have to make that last ride. Did that even make sense?

He looked to his left and made an exaggerated silent sigh. Sirius cracked a grin. The pair were lounging in the backseat of the Potters' car with the adults up front. James could tell his friend understood what he meant. For the past month, the household had been a flurry of activity getting everything in order for the boys' last year. Mrs. Potter in particular was a whirlwind of unexpected mood swings. One day she would be quietly humming to herself while doing laundry, the next she'd be found sobbing hysterically over some of James' pictures from when he was eleven.

James was used to it by now, but was embarrassed for Sirius, who had to experience it firsthand. And though he was often nonchalantly shrugging off the woman's odd moods and teasing her son about the pampering he received, James could sense that Sirius was envious of how much James had been cared for and surprised at how welcoming the Potters had been after he had run away, even now, a year later.

The rest of the trip was spent in a comfortable silence. James stared at the window and fiddled with the Head Boy badge in his pocket.

Yes, _Head Boy badge._

When the glistening, wallet sized pin had fallen out of his letter, James could hardly speak. He was sure there had been some mistake, expected to see some note on there that said "For Frank" or even "For Remus." Of course, there was nothing of the sort, just that scarlet and gold badge, shining disturbingly up at him.

What had first been disbelief then turned to panic. The Marauders had made a sort of unspoken agreement to look down upon anyone in authority, to do what they wanted to do when they wanted to do it. He racked his brain to figure out what he did right but came up with nothing. It might as well have been a death sentence. He had wanted to get the thing out of sight before Sirius came in, but his legs wouldn't move. All he could do was stare at it.

"Hey, mate. Oh, Hogwarts letters!" Sirius flopped down on the bed that had been squeezed into James' room a year prior. He opened the note addressed to him in curly handwriting, and read, "_'We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to your final year at Hogwarts'_, blah, blah, blah … _'List of books, September 1__st__ …'_ So I guess we can – What'cha got there?"

James snapped out of his stupor and tried to grab the badge to hide it, but Sirius quickly snatched it out of his reach. He looked at it for what seemed like years, and James cringed. Sirius' eyes widened and a wolfish like grin spread across his face.

"Wooo!" he yelped. "Dumbledore's probably off his rocker, but Head Boy! Well done, mate!" He ruffled James' already untidy hair and punched him on the arm, and then collapsed back on the bed. "Head Boy … James … Gryffindor Head … wow …" Sirius muttered, interrupting himself with peals of laughter every now and then.

"And you know what this means? You have a free pass! You can go walking down the corridors and if a teacher stops you, you can just say 'Head's business.' It's brilliant!"

"I know." James took the badge back, tossing it from hand to hand. "I would have thought that somebody else would have gotten it, like Moony. He's the good one."

"Yeah, but that's McGonagall for you. Don't know what she's thinking though, pulling something like that. Ha, and she calls _us_ pranksters."

James smiled as he thought about his mum's screech when he walked downstairs that morning. After she had crushed the living daylights out of him, she quickly made a huge breakfast for them, all the while beaming like James was suddenly Nicolas Flamel himself. His father was no better, clapping him on the back so hard that he started coughing.

He leaned back in his seat and prepared to unbuckle his seatbelt as they pulled into the parking lot of King's Cross station. Truth be told, James _was_ excited to be Head Boy - more than he let on. Not only for the freedom (though of course that was a bonus) but to prove to Evans that he wasn't an immature git.

Oh, Lily Evans.

Every time he thought of her, his stomach fluttered. James didn't know what it was about her; maybe it was her flaming red hair, maybe it was her sparkling green eyes, maybe it was her electric personality. He could have his choice of any girl in school, but he just _had_ to fall for the one that couldn't care less if he was eaten by a troll. Well, this was his chance - his last chance - to win her over. He wasn't the same guy he was seven years ago, James knew that much. But would Evans see it that way? He hoped so. He hoped with every fiber of his being. He'd never cared about anything, or anyone, so much in his life except for his friends.

"Oy, we gotta go." Sirius snapped his finger in front of James, who had gone away with his thoughts for a moment. James nodded and smiled. They gathered their stuff from the trunk of the car and walked into the station.

Muggles bustled around, getting on and off trains, waving goodbye to friends and greeting loved ones. They seemed to all be in a great hurry, but James could see nothing actually getting _done._ That's how it was with non-magic people; they were very anxious to get somewhere, but once there, realized that there was nothing to do. James was continually amused by watching them getting along without magic.

The small group weaved in and out of the crowds, struggling to find the entryway to the Platform. Muggles curiously looked at the owls with the boy's luggage, as they always did. When finally Sirius spotted the right wall, it was almost ten 'til.

After glancing around to make sure no one was watching (though of course no Muggles ever watched closely enough) they casually leaned into the brick wall.

The sensation of going through a seemingly solid wall bothered James every time. The illusion was so perfectly made that sometimes he thought he had the wrong wall. But nevertheless, he slid through it smoothly.

Platform 9 ¾ was all a bustle with kids hurriedly calling out to their friends, parents calling to their kids, and owls hooting to one another. Meanwhile, the scarlet train that James knew all so well was there too. The Hogwarts Express sat gaily on the tracks while students stuck their heads out the compartments, telling their family "I love you" one more time.

A solid entity collided with his back and James stumbled forward a few steps. He turned to see his best friend smirking only slightly.

"Daydreaming, Prongs?"

"A little."

"Well get your butt out of the way of the barrier. Your parents will be coming through any se—"

Sirius didn't get the chance to finish his sentence. The elder Potters suddenly came through the other side, she knocking over Sirius, he knocking over James. After a moment of entanglement, the two teenage boys stood up with as much dignity as they could muster under the circumstances. The adults chuckled to themselves and followed the boys across the Platform.

With tears in her eyes (thoroughly embarrassing James) Mrs. Potter hugged her son and gave him a wet, cherry lipstick kiss. Sirius stifled laughter at the ridiculously estranged look on James' face, but grimaced himself as Mrs. Potter pulled him into a hug too. Mr. Potter gave James a one-armed hug and shook Sirius' shoulder warmly. They stood together as the boys got onto the train, Mrs. Potter dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief.

As James turned into the corridor of the train, he was overcome with a wave of nostalgia. He could remember eleven year old James, so small, as small as that first year over – oh, not _that_ small, surely! James swore that they were getting smaller every year.

The interior of the train was, if possible, busier than the outside. The narrow corridor that went up and down the train was made all the more narrow with students trying to locate their friend's compartments, all burdened with luggage. It seemed that the whole student body was in the body of the train.

It had fully hit him that this was the last time he would board the Hogwarts Express to school. How had six years gone by so fast? Was it really possible that he would have to go get a job this time next year? James had grown up in Hogwarts, become someone. How was he supposed to start from scratch?

He looked over at Sirius, and with his wide eyes and the way he started licking his top lip, James could tell that he was thinking about this as their second to last ride as well, not just another train ride.

He clapped a hand on his friend's shoulder and Sirius smiled smally. After all, they had gotten this far, and he didn't just mean how far they had traveled down the corridor (which actually wasn't all that far). Everything that could have happened in their years at Hogwarts _did_ happen. The hard part was over. Now, it was just the rest of their lives to worry about. Piece of cake.

Up ahead, James spotted a sandy haired boy with shabby robes. He clutched a book tightly in one hand and with the other, he dragged along a rounded boy with mousy brown hair. They ducked around all the shouting kids and arrived at a compartment. Apparently finding it empty, the first boy opened the door. The smaller boy walked in and then the other, taking one last look around, walked in after his friend and slid the door shut. In that brief glance around, James recognized the boy immediately.

He turned to say so to Sirius, but he was already looking in that direction. A smile was creeping up in the left corner of his mouth and it was a smile James knew well. It wasn't one of his genuine smiles, not one of his charming smiles, not one of his smirks when he's playing a joke, but a smile he only showed when he saw the members of the Marauders. James himself felt a pleasant warmth spread through him, soothing that nervous feeling in his stomach.

Side by side, they shoved their way through the crowd and headed over to the compartment where they had seen Remus and Peter enter.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Harry Potter world at all.**

CHAPTER 3

_She didn't come. She didn't come._

_Bloody hell, Lily. Of _course_ she didn't come. What did you expect? She didn't have any reason to. It's not like you two are close anymore anyway. She's probably with her boyfriend on some romantic weekend._

_At least Tuney's happy._

Not to say that Lily Evans _wasn't_ happy. On the contrary, she was never more excited than when she was on the Hogwarts Express. Every year it made her realize that the previous one wasn't a dream, that she was actually a witch. Although she had never mentioned it to her parents, Hogwarts felt more like home than her actual home did, especially now that Petunia avoided her every day during the summer and holidays.

In fact, Lily had every reason to be happier this September 1st than any other September 1st. For one thing, she was sitting with her best friends in the entire world, which was always a positive. Sitting across from her was Mary MacDonald. Her long brown hair curled softly down her back and her blue eyes sparkled with laughter from the story Alice Glenn was telling her. Alice's shoulder length black hair was bouncing slightly up and down from the shaking of her shoulders as she recalled a story from her summer, having to do with Lily, a quaffle, a Cleansweep Seven, and the pond outside the Glenn household. Lily was allowing them to joke on her behalf, but even she had to admit that it was rather funny, and it served to further prove the point that Lily should never attempt Quidditch. All three were in Gryffindor, same year.

Twins Haley and Becca White were playing a game of Exploding Snap on Lily's left, often interrupting the flow of conversation with stating their own opinion on the subject or giggling when a card would explode. Haley was a Gryffindor and Becca was in Hufflepuff, but they were still closer than any two people could be. In the corner of the compartment, fully absorbed in her reading, was Carolina Furrow. Her silver-blue eyes darted quickly across the page, her mess of blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. The girls were good friends with the quiet Ravenclaw, and though she was good for a laugh, she mostly kept to herself and listened. No one could ever guess by looking at her, but Lily knew that Carolina was one of the best spell casters in the school, showing her skill on multiple occasions by helping Professor Flitwick fix messes left behind by the Marauders.

That brought Lily to her second reason for being happy: no sign of the Marauders. By now, the girls would have heard an explosion in the corridor or some kind of creature would have crawled under the compartment door, giving the boys a reason to drop in. But the train was strangely quiet, for which Lily was grateful. She was sick of that quartet causing trouble, no matter how innocent the prank. They had been acting this way for almost seven years and she was starting to believe they would never grow up. Black and Potter, as much as she tried to deny it, were as smart as herself, and she often thought that if they stopped the pranks and started acting a bit more like Remus, they would actually be pleasant to be around, though this thought was almost always accompanied with a scoff. As if Potter would ever be pleasant to be around.

In addition, Lily had been named Head Girl. She'd started jumping up and down on her bed when she saw the badge in her letter. Her mother, hearing the raucous, came upstairs and immediately joined her daughter in celebration. Not that it was a big surprise to anyone really, but Lily was still excited to have been given the responsibility of being Head Girl. Now she could more easily call out the Marauders on pranks than she could when she was a Prefect. She relished the chance to finally give them the punishment they deserved. (Upon reflecting on this statement, she realized it sounded quite malicious, and then realized she didn't care.)

That brought her in a full circle, back around to Petunia. Lily's sister detested everything to do with magic, and this extended to Lily herself. Petunia was bitter and resentful and Lily hated the fact that they had grown so far apart in such a short amount of time. Every year, their parents forced Petunia to come along when bringing Lily to the train, hoping (in vain of course) that the two would one day put their differences aside.

In reality, she should have been grateful that her sister was away for the summer, as that meant she didn't have to put up with Petunia's hateful comments and glares. But at the same time, Lily knew that Petunia was the only sister that she would ever get, and so wanted desperately to get along with her. However, Petunia couldn't stand being in the same room as her, let alone hugging her goodbye at the end of the summer.

There were so many stories that Lily wanted to share, but knew that her sister wouldn't care. The thing that stung most though, was that Petunia would tell everyone she met that she was an only child. A lot of things she did and said hurt, but that was by far the worst. Lily had to put up with a lot at school, but the thought that even in her own house…

Yes, Lily should have been grateful that Petunia hadn't come.

And yet …

Lily loved her sister with a passion. She too shared her parents' naïve hope that one day they would make up. She tried to be as cordial and polite as possible, often offering to take over a number of Petunia's chores, but she would always snort in derision, convinced that Lily was trying to show that she was better than her older sister. Her friends tried to convince her that Petunia wasn't worth the trouble, but Lily never paid them any mind.

So though she had so many reasons to be happy, and despite all the things going for her, a dark cloud hung over Lily's head.

As the train started off, Lily excused herself from the compartment. She carefully pinned the Head Girl badge to the front of her shirt and made her way to the back of the train where her letter had instructed to go. She vaguely wondered who would be Head Boy with her. She immediately assumed Remus, and remembered fondly the last two years when they were both Prefects. That was really when the two of them had become friends. While he was usually quiet without Potter and Black by his side, Remus warmed up to Lily quite quickly. She enjoyed their talks while they patrolled the corridors at night. She hoped that they could continue this as Head Boy and Girl.

She entered the compartment and took in the mix of boys and girls, all chatting amiably. She tried to distinguish Remus from the rest of them. She eventually did spot him, but when she caught his eye, he smiled grimly. This confused her for a moment, but then she looked at the badge on his chest. A big _P_ gleamed brightly. P? Prefect? How did Remus not get Head Boy?

She ran through her mental list of Prefects from last year, but could come up with no one more qualified than him. Then Remus nudged the black haired boy sitting next to him, who turned to face Lily. A smile spread across his face, his hazel eyes lit up, and he ruffled his untidy hair. A scarlet Head Boy badge beamed tauntingly at Lily.

_No. No, no, no. Oh God. Oh Merlin, God, please no - no… _

"Small world, eh Evans?" He stood up and walked over to her.

"Potter," Lily said as evenly as she could, "what are you doing here?"

"I'm Head Boy," he grinned at her.

"How is that possible? You weren't even a Prefect last year!"

"Who knows what goes through Dumbledore's mind as he gives out appointments."

"It's still not - Okay, whoever you stole that badge from, please give it back. I'm in no mood for one of these jokes."

He looked at her quizzically. "Um, this is actually mine. Trust me, I was just as surprised as you are, but there you go."

She huffed at Potter and prepared to explode at him, but then Lily noticed that all the Prefects were looking expectantly at them. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to think of how to start. It didn't help any that Potter whispered in her ear, "Ladies first." She thought of jabbing him with her elbow, but she figured that _that_ certainly wouldn't be a good way to start. She decided to go on as normal and see when Potter would wimp out and/or the real Head Boy would come in, as there was no doubt in her mind that Potter wasn't it.

"Hello, I'm Lily Evans and I'll be Head Girl this year." She pointedly decided to not introduce Potter, something he no doubt picked up on but, surprisingly, didn't comment on it.

She continued to list all the duties of Prefects and handed out slips of paper with each house's password on them. She was painfully aware of Potter's gaze on her the entire time. He didn't speak at all, but just stared at Lily. She got hot in the face and fumbled over a couple of her words. Was this his big plan? Embarrass her in front of all the Prefects? She wished she knew what he was thinking, just this once, but immediately brushed the thought aside. She would never want to be inside the mind of James Potter.

She dismissed the group and they all cleared out. Soon, it was just her and Potter in the room. There was an awkward pause as Lily stared at the window, trying to pretend that Potter didn't exist.

Then he broke the silence. "I think that went rather well."

She scoffed and replied, "You didn't even say anything."

"I thought you had it covered."

Lily sighed heavily and turned around to face him. "It's not funny anymore. I _know_ you're not Head Boy. Stop pretending you are."

What she saw pass over Potter's face surprised her. He seemed to be genuinely hurt by her words. She didn't understand why. She had said worse things to him in the past, and he'd just brushed them off. What was so different this time?

"I got the badge in the mail, same as you," he said quietly, surprising her again.

Her scathing reply got stuck in her throat, and she actually felt bad. To save face, she haughtily replied, "Forgive me if I don't believe you."

His sad, hazel eyes bore into her a second longer. He simply nodded as if he understood and turned toward the door to the compartment. Lily, again, was surprised by how bad she felt. She did mean to hurt his feelings (she always did) but the way he was taking it made it seem like he actually cared what she thought. She was about to call out to him and apologize when he abruptly turned around anyway.

"By the way," he started and she was immediately gripped by anger again. Of course. This was just some elaborate game to guilt her into going out with him, for no doubt that was what he was going to ask her. He always did. She angrily shook her hair out of her face and crossed her arms.

"What was the password to Gryffindor Tower again?"

The anger drained out of Lily as fast as it rushed in. Even as she willed herself not to blush, she could sense that her cheeks were turning an acute shade of crimson. "Um … Dragon scales."

"Thanks." And he was gone.

She put a hand to her forehead. How was it that James Potter always found a way to surprise, even shock her? Every time she thought she had him figured out, he would do something like this, be completely innocent, and she'd be back on square 1, back when they first met. She waited for her cheeks to stop flaming, and then made her way slowly back to her compartment.

Lily's thoughts swam in circles. She always seemed to come back to one question: why did Potter care? She had always assumed that he liked her because she was the only girl in school who didn't think his antics were cute. She thought that he considered her a challenge. Had she been wrong? Was he trying to prove something? It certainly seemed that way. When she told him that she didn't believe him, he couldn't have looked sadder than if she had cursed him into oblivion. His sad, beautiful eyes had said everything that -

_Whoa, whoa. Beautiful? Where the hell did _that_ come from?_

She anxiously shook her head, willing herself to stop thinking crazy. This was James Potter. James effing Potter. Ring leader of the Marauders. Prankster. A boy who took pleasure from other people's misfortune. Nothing about him was _beautiful._

_Besides,_ she thought as she arrived at her compartment, _I forgot the other reason I have to be happy. I have a boyfriend._


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I, of course, have never and will never own the Harry Potter series. JK Rowling is the only one who can say that.**

CHAPTER 4

As the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station at 6:17, the occupants of Compartment 289, in a strangely subdued silence that only occurs after hysterical laughter, exited the train with their luggage and scrambled into the first carriage they saw. The quartet heard the familiar "Firs' years! Firs' years, this way!" from the castle's Gamekeeper, Hagrid. They sat quietly, trying not to make eye contact with each other, for every time they did, they had to immediately look away and stifle laughter.

The carriages pulled away with a jolt and the Marauders packed the windows, trying to catch a first glance at Hogwarts. The narrow path the carriages had to maneuver on the way to the castle seemed to take twice as long as usual to the four seventh years. Finally, as they rounded the last curve in the road, Hogwarts came into view.

The enormous castle dwarfed the trees and the grounds around it. Though the sun was still barely visible in the sky, the school seemed to be the brightest thing anyone could see. Its many windows were illuminated with a welcoming glow, and even the uppermost towers shone like torches being raised in the sky. The magic surrounding the place resonated towards the boy's carriage and hit them like a shock wave.

"Wow," Peter said, awe struck.

"Yeah," Sirius sighed.

James was the first one to tear his eyes away. He sat back in his seat, having been leaning over Remus, and closed his eyes, never wanting the moment to end. But of course it did, all too soon for James.

"Can you imagine in nine months time, we'll be leaving this school for the last time?"

"No, Moony," Sirius replied, stretching. "Not really."

"I mean," Remus amended, "unless we want to come back and teach." All four boys stuck out their tongues and chuckled.

James opened his eyes and said, "And that this time next year we'll have to have jobs?"

"Ugh, don't remind me," Sirius groaned. After a brief silence, he asked, "What do you think you'll be doing, Prongs?"

"Probably an Auror."

"That's pretty dangerous, isn't it?" Peter asked.

"Yep," James replied, "but since things are getting worse, might as well be ready."

It was how he had felt for a long time. Ever since fifth year, he had known that he wanted to do something about the war. Some people tried to pretend that they were safe at Hogwarts, but James knew that after they left the school, there would be no one to protect them anymore, no Dumbledore to go crying to. That fact terrified him as much as the next person. He silently admitted that was really the reason he didn't want the school year to end. He had been sitting on the idea for some time, and wanted to get it officially out in the open.

"Danger, adventure, and defeating the Dark Arts. That has James written all over it," Remus smiled.

James nodded as Peter squeaked, "As long as he doesn't have to pose for a picture!"

The boys, despite all their efforts to restrain themselves thus far, roared with laughter. They were still in hysterics by the time they reached the castle and it took a good minute and a half for them to realize that their carriage had stopped. All of them were still grinning from ear to ear as they unpacked their carriage and made their way confidently up the stone steps to the castle.

They walked merrily to the Great Hall where most of the students were taking their seats. The large cathedral-like room, glittering with thousands of candles, held the four house tables: Hufflepuff on the far right, Ravenclaw second from the right, Slytherin second from the left, and Gryffindor on the far left. Seated up at the teacher's table, was Dumbledore the Headmaster, happily looking around at the students. His half-moon glasses sat on his crooked nose and his long silver beard stood out from his deep purple robes. Several other teachers James remembered were there as well, like Professors Flitwick, Slughorn, Sprout, and Kettleburn. There was only one teacher that he didn't recognize, a thin woman with long black hair who wore emerald robes, and he figured that this was the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher.

The Marauders made their way over to the Gryffindor table, James sitting next to Sirius with Peter across from him. The long table was laden with gold plates and goblets that made James' mouth water in expectation of the food that would soon be covering it, and they impatiently waited for the first years to enter so that they could get sorted and the feast would begin.

Then, McGonagall entered, trailed by fifty or so tiny first-years. James could see the petrified fear in their eyes as they looked around the massive hall. He could only imagine what they thought they were going to have to do to be sorted.

The Sorting Hat was brought out with a stool. All eyes were on it. Then the old and virtually unremarkable hat started singing.

Usually, the Marauders paid no mind to the song. The duration of the hat's annual musical was always spent charming small rocks or quills that the boys had on hand to hit Severus Snape in the back of the head. Indeed, James could see the slimeball at the opposite table scratching his greasy head as though something had just hit him. In the corner of his eye, he could see Sirius smirking as he swished his half concealed wand and another pebble swerved in Snivellus' direction.

Normally, James would have joined Sirius (never wanting to pass up a chance to cause trouble for Snape,) but for whatever reason, James listened to the hat for the first time since second year.

"_One thousand years ago_

_(A little less if you're precise,)_

_Two witches and two wizards came_

_To give young sorcerers advice._

_And so it was, they agreed,_

_Hogwarts School was born,_

_Where witches and wizards_

_Could be taught with little scorn._

_Inside these safe castle walls_

_Four houses sure are enough._

_Their names: Gryffindor, Slytherin,_

_Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff._

_To be a bold Gryffindor,_

_One must have these qualities three;_

_Daring and strength of course_

_As well as bravery._

_In Slytherin you'll find that_

_There is much to which they boast;_

_Cunningness and ambition_

_Is what they value most._

_Ravenclaw are for those who_

_Have been wise their whole lifelong._

_If one is quick, witty, and skillful,_

_It is here you belong._

_And finally Hufflepuff_

_Is where hard-workers are kept._

_Modest, friendly, and loyal,_

_Everyone will they accept._

_Though you are now in a school_

_Where magic runs amok,_

_These will be your hardest years_

_Unless you are full of luck._

_Friendships may be tested,_

_Classes will be intense,_

_Sides will be chosen,_

_Often at other's expense._

_Adventures will be had,_

_Though not always good,_

_But true friends will stick together;_

_Choose your mates wisely, you should._

_I do not mean to frighten you._

_I am merely a humble hat._

_My work here is to choose and sort,_

_So let's begin at that!"_

The hat was still once more. The Great Hall broke out into polite clapping, and James at least thought it was only out of tradition. The song was a little unnerving. James had never heard a sorting hat song quite like that before. Granted, this was only the third time he had actually listened to the hat sing, but he had heard that it sometimes gave warnings to the students if it felt the need. The last two years, for example, it gave warnings about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Necessary, of course, since he was still a big threat and all, but the song James had just heard didn't sound like a warning about outside forces, more like a warning about _inside_ forces.

Did it mean that there were Death Eaters inside the castle? Surely not. It sounded more like it knew something was going to happen that would threaten friendships. What in the world did that mean?

James didn't have any more time to ponder this, though, because the Sorting had begun. James felt himself drifting off and he and his friends started getting restless for food, as they always did. When the applause died down for the last kid to be sorted ("Wilson, Corey" to Ravenclaw), the Headmaster stood up.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, and to our older students, welcome back! I am your Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. It is wonderful to see you all here. I, too, am famished, so I shall not take up any more of your time until after the feast. Enjoy!" With a flourish of his hands, Dumbledore sat back down.

Sirius groaned in happiness as the feast appeared. Roast chicken, roast beef, and roast potatoes nearly drove James mad with their delicious scent. Peas, carrots, bacon, steak, and sausage taunted him as he dove into the feast. By the time he'd eaten what he believed was his fill, the main course disappeared and was replaced with ice cream of every flavor and then some, treacle tart, pies, chocolate trifles, pudding, and strawberries. He decided that he had more room in his stomach and sampled a little bit of every dessert item on their table.

While Sirius, Remus, and Peter talked and laughed and joked, James took the opportunity to look around the table. He saw many people he recognized: John Collins, the other Beater besides Sirius on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, sat near the Marauders; Darrien Thames, Tom Green, and Andrew Chester, three sixth years who were decent runner-ups to the roles of pranksters, sat together; Haley White, a Chaser on the Quidditch Team, sat across from Frank Longbottom on the opposite end of the table from the Marauders. James was getting excited now, knowing that wherever Frank was, Alice was almost always next to him, and wherever Alice Glenn was …

Yes, there she was.

Lily, with her standout red hair, sat across from Alice and next to a brunette - what was her name? - and was laughing at a story Frank was telling her. She looked stunning, as usual, even with a bit of chocolate in the corner of her mouth. Mary - he remembered her name now - whispered something in her ear and Lily nodded and giggled. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and glanced down the table, looking for more trifles, and briefly caught James' eyes.

He quickly looked away, remembering with surprising strength the pain their last encounter left him with. It hurt him way more than it should have, her disbelief and anger at him. He'd figured she'd come around when she saw the badge, not think that he'd stolen it from someone else. He had gotten his hopes up and they were smashed with every word, just like how the depression was beaten out of him by Sirius when James got back to the compartment and told his friend why he was sad.

"You - are - such - a - sodding - sweetheart!" Sirius had said, punching him in the arm with every word. "You'd rather impress a girl with your badge than break the rules with your newfound responsibility? I put up a motion that Prongs be kicked out immediately and checked into St. Mungo's. Will anyone second it?"

James smiled at the memory. He'd deserved every punch. What _was_ the matter with him?

Slowly, the food faded away, and James felt, as he did every year, that this was the most he'd ever eaten at a feast. He felt warm and happy, but mostly sleepy. He could see Peter rubbing his eyes and Remus yawning. Dumbledore stood up again and all chatter ceased.

"Now that we are all fed and watered, there are a few start-of-term notices I wish to give out. First of all, first years should please understand that the Forbidden Forest on our grounds is, as its name implies, forbidden. Also, there is to be no magic used in the corridors between classes or otherwise. Older students should please take note of these reminders as well."

At this last comment, James swore Dumbledore's eyes flickered in his direction. James smiled and turned his head to look at Sirius, who had decidedly done the same, and they both did their best to stifle their laughter.

Remus leaned forward and whispered, "Seems we've already broken a rule. It's gotta be a record or something."

"He didn't say anything about it being on the train before term even starts," James breathed back.

Dumbledore continued, "Anyone wishing to try out for their House's Quidditch team should contact Madame Hooch before the second week of term.

"We also have a new teacher appointment. Please join me in welcoming our newest Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Abell."

The woman he had noticed before stood up and raised her hand in greeting. The students started applauding, and James noticed that Abell did not crack a smile. She reminded him of a younger McGonagall, someone not to be messed with.

"I hope you enjoy your first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh years at Hogwarts. Now, off to bed!"

The four boys got up and exited the Great Hall. They shoved their way through the crowd, wanting to be the first ones into the common room to enjoy a brief minute of privacy before the onslaught of younger students crowded it, which would not abate until the holidays. Even after being slowed down by Peter's foot getting stuck in the trick step, they finally arrived with no others in sight.

"Dragon scales," James said, and the Fat Lady portrait ("Welcome back, boys,") swung open.

The common room was just how he remembered it. The circular dwelling was bathed in a brilliant orange light from the roaring fire in the fireplace. The comfy armchairs by the fire looked extremely inviting, but by some unspoken agreement, the boys passed them and headed up the stone stairs.

The four-poster beds were carefully made by the house-elves and were the perfect size, and comfortable enough, to just plop down on and go straight to sleep. With the last of his energy, James changed out of his robes and into his pajamas. He crawled into bed. The springs creaked slightly as he changed position.

All the anxiousness, excitement, and longing had taken it out of him. The Marauders talked no more and, one by one, they all fell asleep with one thought playing through all of their heads.

_We're home._


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I no own Harry Potter.**

CHAPTER FIVE

Sirius woke at the crack of dawn. This was not what he intended to do. The stupid birds outside had decided they wanted to have a pow-wow at 6:30 in the morning. He tried to ignore them the best he could, but finally determined that it was no use. He quietly got up, cursing the birds, and changed out of the rumpled robes he hadn't bothered to take off the night before.

James and Remus were still fast asleep. The fifth bed was now occupied by Frank Longbottom, who was on the opposite side of the bed from where the pillows were; Sirius neither knew nor cared to know how Frank had gotten in that position. However, the fourth bed that Peter had been in last night was empty.

Remus could sleep through just about anything and James often reminded Sirius of a dead man when he slept, except for the awful snoring sound he produced. Sirius himself was usually out like a light but for reasons already mentioned, he walked downstairs to the common room.

As he entered the common room floor, Sirius saw a little lump on the couch. It was dozing lightly by the embers of the fire. Upon closer inspection, the lump turned out to be Peter. He gently shook him awake.

"Hm?" Peter said groggily. "Oh, hey Padfoot. Couldn't sleep either?"

"Nah. How long you been down here?"

Glancing over at the window, he replied, "For a couple hours I guess. Birds, right?"

Sirius nodded, and there was an awkward pause. Peter, through no fault of his own, had the skill to make any situation awkward. He was just one of those people, you know? Sirius sometimes didn't really know what to do with Peter; it felt like he was a fourth wheel in their trio. He was a good friend, loyal and everything, but there was something about him, something that Sirius couldn't quite put a finger on, that seemed to separate him from everyone else. He wasn't as courageous as other Gryffindors, or as daring, but he always went along on one of the Marauders' numerous adventures because, Sirius supposed, he felt he had to. He, at least, hung out with Peter out of pity for the guy.

After a moment, Peter slumped back down and quickly fell back asleep. Sirius sighed and sat down in the chair next to the couch. He thought of going upstairs and waking James up, but he knew that without his sleep James was very grumpy, in much the same way a wife knows what kind of coffee her husband prefers. So, knowing that it would do no good to try and do something with Peter and that Moony needed his rest for the upcoming full moon, he sat in the chair and watched as the embers of a fire that only a few hours ago was roaring like a lion, slowly died down.

When Sirius finally felt as though he couldn't stand sitting still any longer, just as the sun had completely risen over the horizon, he heard a faint thumping sound from the seventh year boy's dormitory. He quickly went up the stairs and opened the door.

A pillow hit him square in the face.

"Bullseye!" James crowed, giving Remus a high five.

"Sorry mate," Remus smiled, winking. "Couldn't resist."

"I blame James anyway," Sirius responded, tossing the pillow onto Frank's face, who grunted as he woke up.

"What did I do?" James asked, openly laughing as Frank confusedly looked around.

"Mr. Head Boy shouldn't be promoting such naughty, naughty behavior," his friend answered, wagging his finger amusedly.

"Oh, come off it," Mr. Head Boy said, shoving Sirius' head in a way so that he lost balance and collapsed on his bed.

As Sirius lolled his tongue out, Remus said, "Come on, I'm starving. Breakfast."

The trio went downstairs where James helped Sirius roll Peter off the couch and onto the floor. Suffice it to say, he woke up immediately. Leaving Frank to wait on Alice, the Marauders went down to the Great Hall.

The friends loaded their plates with toast, eggs, bread, bacon, and sausages and were laughing at a story Remus just told from over summer break when McGonagall came by with their schedules.

"What've we got?" Sirius asked, bored.

"Ancient Runes, Transfiguration with Slytherins, lunch, Defense against the Dark Arts with Ravenclaws, break, and … done," James answered.

"I am so excited. Are you excited, James?"

"Ecstatic," he replied through a full mouth.

Though the boys were incredibly intelligent and got OWLs in almost everything, they did tend to be bored when in class, Sirius especially. He zoned out quite frequently and often times had wand fights with James if they were on opposite sides of the classroom, which in some classes they were.

Ancient Runes, an otherwise boring subject, was made slightly more entertaining by the teacher, Bathsheda Babbling. Like her name suggested, she tended to get off topic a bit in class. For instance, on Sirius' first day of seventh year, she somehow got onto the subject of the selection of animal mascots for the houses. She realized she had fifteen minutes left in class, so she had them quickly jot down their notes; however, only Remus completely finished.

"Let's see 'em, come on!" James said as they left class.

"Why? You should be paying attention."

"We _were_ paying attention! We heard her lesson loud and clear." Mimicking Babbling's tone of voice, Sirius continued, "The lion, obviously, was chosen for the bravery and courage it represents, while the snake has always been-"

"Been a symbol for cunningness," Remus repeated from memory. "But you know what I mean."

"Naturally, but you were the only one finished. You have faster handwriting than us. Just this once, come on, please!"

Remus sighed heavily and agreed to give them his notes in the common room.

McGonagall was one of the teachers who attempted to separate James and Sirius into different parts of the classroom. The latter never dared to cause much trouble in her class, but he always found a way to amuse himself. And nothing amused him more than causing Snape misery. This day, having already succeeded in transforming his rat into a flower, he used his wand to surreptitiously make Snape's rat scurry around the desk so that Snape could not get a clear shot at transforming it for a good half the class.

After lunch, the boys attended Defense Against the Dark Arts.

This was the class Sirius was most interested in. No professor had ever made it past one year in this position, so it was always a mystery as to what kind of personality they had. He immediately noticed, much like James did the previous night, that Abell wasn't going to be a very happy-go-lucky teacher.

She was surprisingly tall and had to look down upon her class as she told them what it was that she expected. "There will be no talking unless answering a question, and no wand waving unless practicing a spell. I expect complete obedience from all, and no foolish questions. I do not appreciate repeating myself." She talked in a husky, yet quiet voice.

As she turned her back to the class to write on a board, Sirius nudged James and raised his eyebrows in a way that said, _Wow_.

James nodded, _I know._

They spent the class taking notes in complete silence except for the scraping of quills on parchment. Sirius was unused to the silence, remembering how last year, the teacher was a good laugh and "group discussions" were encouraged, even though often times they were not talking about the class. So, despite himself, he started zoning out and gazing around the room. His eyes landed on a brown haired, lanky Ravenclaw diagonal to Sirius and James' desk.

Bertram Aubrey. Sirius didn't like him at all. He was a teacher's pet, a know-it-all, and someone you just wanted to punch. Plus he was a blabber mouth. Aubrey didn't much like the Marauders either; perhaps jealousy, perhaps a genuine dislike for breaking the rules.

They had finished their notes with about seven minutes left in class. Everyone was rubbing their hands and looking altogether miserable. Sirius, being the kind-hearted teenager he was, decided that they needed a little amusement after such a depressing class and Abell needed to be properly welcomed to Hogwarts.

He muttered a charm and some ribbons shot out of his wand. Controlling them to the best of his ability, Sirius made one tap Abell on the shoulder. She turned, and the ribbons were streaking around the room with amazing speed and knocking books off shelves. James caught on quickly and shot some sparks out of his wand, creating a firework display above the class.

While the professor attempted to dispel these distractions and the class laughed in amusement, Sirius saw, out of the corner of his eye, Aubrey look at them and shoot his hand into the air. Of course. Typical Ravenclaw. They couldn't have amusement for three seconds could they?

James also saw Aubrey and signaled to his friend to shut him up. Sirius thought quickly and preformed the first hex that came to his mind.

When all the panic had subsided, Abell and several other students gasped as Aubrey, holding his head, rolled around on the floor. His head was swelling up like a balloon.

James turned to Sirius in surprise. "I thought you were just going to cast a Silencio Charm."

_Oh. I guess that would've worked too._ He shrugged and responded, "Oops."

Remus, from the desk in front of them, rolled his eyes and Peter watched with interest. Abell quickly preformed a counter curse and Aubrey's head, by then twice its normal size, slowly started to shrink.

She turned her sharp eyes on the class and demanded, "Who did this?"

Nobody said anything, naturally. Sirius tried to put on a face of innocent curiosity as he looked around the room, like the culprit would raise their hand.

"Well?" Abell beseeched loudly.

"Potter … Black …"

Aubrey moaned but managed to get those two words out. Sirius grimaced. _Out of everyone, he picked us. It could've been any number of people. Geez, gang up on James and Sirius, why don't you?_

"Detention," Abell said immediately, "for using an illegal hex on Mr. Aubrey. My office, Wednesday night."

She helped Aubrey up just as the bell rang. The Marauders left the class to head to the common room. Once there, James smacked Sirius on the back of the head.

"'Oops?' That's it?"

"What?"

"You're an idiot!"

"It was the first spell that popped into my head!"

"Congratulations," Remus said, sitting on the couch. "You've managed to get detention before dinner on the first day."

"What's our record?" Sirius asked eagerly.

"Before lunch on the first day," Peter answered.

"Damn, missed it by that much." Sirius held his fingers three centimeters apart.

"Just the way I needed to start off the year," James sighed sitting next to Remus.

"Oh, yes, tragic for you I'm sure."

"I didn't even do anything!" James defended himself, but he couldn't keep his smile in any longer.

"It's always your fault," Sirius reminded him.

"Oh yeah," James said quietly. There was a pause, and then he admitted, "That was a pretty good curse."

"Right?"

James easily forgot any form of real anger towards his friend. After all, it was all in good fun.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I solemnly swear that I do not own Harry Potter. This is simply for my own enjoyment. Mischief managed.**

CHAPTER 6

The bell that signaled the end of Charms class rang loudly. As the class packed up their wands and books, Professor Flitwick called out, "Don't forget the essay on the Fidelius Charm. Two and a half rolls of parchment on how to cast it, why it is used, and the advantages and disadvantages."

While most of the class sighed in frustration, Remus was one of the few who were happy for this assignment. Well, happy was probably the wrong word. Grateful more like. The full moon was in a few days and he had a bad habit of over thinking the Marauders' nighttime excursions, so the distraction was quite welcome. Sirius, James, and Peter always accompanied him and if Remus let himself think about it too much, he would start feeling like he was putting his friends in danger instead of being grateful that they were willing to do it for him or that they were still his friends at all, what with his "furry little problem," as James liked to call it.

Yes, essays were good for keeping his mind off his problems.

As he put his books in his bag, he saw a flash of red hair and noticed Lily leave the classroom. He realized with a jolt that he hadn't talked to Lily since the end of last year, and not at all the first three days of seventh year so far. He slung his bag over his shoulder and ran to catch up with her.

"Hey, Lily!"

She turned and smiled when she saw Remus.

"Oh, hi," she said as he reached her. "Gee, we haven't really talked lately have we?"

"Nope. How've you been?"

"Not bad. I've been organizing Heads stuff. By myself."

"I thought that's why we have two Heads; to do stuff together."

"Yeah, well. I mean, come on. He's not serious about being Head Boy is he?"

Remus sighed. When James sent him a letter saying he got the badge, Remus had to admit that he was a little confused. Not to sound vain or anything, but he figured _he_ would have gotten Head Boy, not James. For Merlin's sake, he wasn't even a Prefect the past two years! Remus knew Dumbledore did the things he did for a reason, but really? James didn't take school that seriously, so he felt he deserved it more.

Yet James was his friend, and little things like who was Head Boy shouldn't matter between friends.

"You got to give him a chance," he said.

Lily rolled her eyes. "I've given him a million chances! Sometimes I just want to - ugh!" After a pause she continued, a little quieter, "I'm sorry. I know he's your friend."

Remus just nodded. Over the years, he had grown used to Lily's ongoing complaints about Padfoot and Prongs.

"It's just … and please don't get mad at me for saying this, I sometimes forget that you're friends with them. At least when it's just me and you. You're not like them. You're not the person I'd visualize being a prankster. You're just so … different from them."

_You have no idea._

And she didn't. Remus hadn't told her that he was a werewolf. It wasn't that he didn't trust Lily; he did. It wasn't like he told James, Sirius, and Peter about it either, exactly. They figured it out for themselves. So he had never actually told anyone who didn't already know.

But Lily…

Frankly, Remus was surprised she, being the smartest witch in their year, hadn't figured it out yet. But why would she? Why would she suspect he was a werewolf? Lily was a very trusting person, and it wasn't like they were best friends that told each other everything. She certainly tried to keep her distance from the other three so she wouldn't notice if they weren't where they were supposed to be once a month, especially with James' cloak. It wasn't enough for her to suspect anything, and even if it was, she would trust him enough to think that the days he didn't show up to the meetings or to patrolling the corridors, he had a good reason. And didn't he have a good reason?

Remus stopped being paranoid about people finding out the truth during fourth year. Granted, it started up again with the little incident with Snape last year, but unless Lily was obsessed with them like Snape was, why would she think twice about him not being around during a full moon? Why would she-

Ah, there it was. Over thinking it all as usual.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Lily smiled a little and Remus continued, "So what's new with you, besides school and being irritated at my friends?"

She blushed a little at his playful teasing and admitted, "That's usually what my life revolves around. Actually, um, well, I'm dating someone."

"Really?" This was news to him.

"Yeah. His name's Caleb Graham. Hufflepuff."

"Huh. I don't think I've ever met him."

As the pair walked up the staircase to Gryffindor tower, Lily said, "He's a shy person, not really one to draw attention to himself."

"So how did he catch your eye? I don't think there has ever been a time where James hasn't known who you were with."

She rolled her eyes and said, "He's always been really nice to me and near the end of last year, he asked me out, so I said yes."

"That's all?"

"That's all?" Lily mimicked. "Yes, that's all. What else is there to say?"

"I've never met the guy! So, what's he like? I need details Lily, _details!"_

Lily laughed heartily as he batted his eyes at her and Remus grinned. He was genuinely curious, but he also knew that James would kill him if he didn't find out anything about this mystery boy.

"Fine," she said at length. "He's our age, a little taller than me, short brown hair, crooked smile, a cute button nose, dreamy blue eyes-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture." Remus didn't necessarily want the whole gooey lover's description. "Handsome young man, got it." He crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue at Lily to show how little he cared about the guy's looks.

She pushed him slightly. "He's a nice guy. We sent letters back and forth all summer, and he's really clever and observant. He's honest, he's responsible, he's a good student, and he's very sweet and caring."

Lily had nothing but praise for this guy; this was good. And also odd. Was there not a bad thing to say about Caleb Graham at all?

"And he's not a troublemaker," she continued. "He doesn't show boat himself all the time and he cares about other people's feelings. He's not… well, he's not James Potter… for instance." She bit her lip and glanced at Remus, as though asking for permission to go on a rant about James.

He waved his hand and sighed, "It's okay."

She huffed and said, "James Potter is rude, sarcastic, a bully, and doesn't care if other people get hurt as long as he gets a laugh out of it. Caleb is actually the opposite of James. He's considerate and kind, but Potter makes trouble for everyone and shows off at every opportunity! Caleb is the kind of guy every girl wants to date but Potter just has that stupid bad boy appeal which I'd never find attractive in a billion years! He's smug and arrogant while Caleb is so selfless! I'm glad that I'm with him and _not_ Ca - Potter! He makes me sick with his big head and ego! As if I'd ever go out with him! He's so convinced that every girl in the school loves him and can't get over the fact that _I don't!_ Never have, never will! If anyone thinks that at all, they are sorely mistaken!"

As she paused to take a breath, Remus interjected, "Who said anything about _you_ liking James?"

Lily flushed a deep crimson, which gave Remus a clue that he struck a nerve. She blinked a few times and stammered, "Nobody. I mean, I always assumed that it was - er - implied that… um… well, we're just the complete opposite of each other and everything. Uh, it just goes to show…"

"Right." He was convinced that there was something going on there, but didn't press her anymore. Besides, they were outside the common room. Lily gave the password and went in quickly. Remus shook his head in amusement and joined the rest of the Marauders by the fire.

James had seen the two come in and was following Lily with his eyes as she went up the girl's dormitory when Remus plopped down on the couch by Peter.

"Were you talking to Evans?" James asked.

"Yeah."

"What about?" he questioned, a little too casually.

Sirius immediately jumped on this statement. "Aw, is wittle Jamesy hoping wovewy Wiwy was talking about him?"

Catching on, Remus said, not untruthfully, "Oh yes. She couldn't stop talking about how _in love_ she is with you, but she made me swear not to tell." He batted his eyes at James.

He threw a pillow at Sirius and kicked Remus with his foot. He shook his head and stared into the fire but Remus could tell that that was exactly what he was hoping.

He opened his mouth to tell them what they _were_ talking about when he stopped himself. What was death compared to the amusement that would be brought to him in Lily telling James herself that she was dating this Caleb Graham, for James would most certainly put two and two together and send hex after hex at him. Remus weighed his options and remembered what Lily had said not ten minutes ago:

"_You're not the person I'd visualize being a prankster."_

_Oh yeah? I'd love to see how this plays out._

Directing his comment to Sirius, he said, "Don't you and lover boy have somewhere else to be?"

"Ah, yes. Detention. Joy."

James groaned but followed Sirius out of the room. Peter and Remus started on their homework while the latter thought to himself, _I am so dead, but it might be worth it. After all, everything Lily said about Prongs is true …_


End file.
